With this in mind, Janice Marturano, former legal counsel to General Mills, has some advice for leaders, which she shares in her new book, "Finding the Space to Lead: A Practical Guide to Mindful Leadership." The Franklin Lakes resident will be in Montclair Thursday, Jan. 16, to discuss her work.

Marturano is the founder and executive director of the Institute for Mindful Leadership, a non-profit organization. Following the death of her parents amid great stresses at work, Marturano found herself depleted of resilience, as she describes in the book. She deeply - and for a time secretly - delved into mindfulness trainings led by Jon Kabat-Zinn, which she found reduced her stress and cultivated in her greater patience, compassion and ability to lead. She was soon leading mindfulness trainings for managers and officers, and the concept spread through the company.

As Marturano explained, she is now trying to re-tool leaders of all sorts - people in the military, nonprofit managers, parents, corporate leaders, and others - to bring focus, creativity, compassion and clarity to their decision-making.

This kind of leadership excellence could have a transformative effect in business, she said - which is a good thing.

"The old playbook has to be tossed out. If you try to meet 2014 in the same way you met 2004, you're dead," Marturano said. "The common thread is that leaders know they need to find some way of writing that new playbook.

"It might have to do with how things are sourced. It might involve choosing to do a promotion instead of producing more volume, or it could be about getting books into the hands of low income children," Marturano continued. The key is for leaders in organizations to hone their leadership aptitudes, which can result in a "win-win-win": when a decision is good for the organization, good for the employees and good for the community.

But it's not just about wanting to do it; the mind must be trained.Marturano advocates for two 10-minute meditations each day, along with "purposeful pauses": taking everyday tasks, like brushing teeth or doing dishes, and concentrating fully on the task rather than letting the mind wander, which "starts to train your capability to sustain attention," she said.

The third part of the equation is "learning to use the mind's capability for reflection." Reflection allows the mindfulness practitioner to connect with his or her core values, making decision-making easier when the pressure is on.

"It's preparation for choosing in the chaos," Marturano said.

Marturano said that leadership excellence begins with "bright minds and warm hearts."

"Too often [people] were in that autopilot mode," she said. "It's about how can I expand the repertoire of how I meet what's actually here."